Foot pedal question

[alesana4ever]

New owner of a Crestliner Fish Hawk 1750 here and i need help recessing the trolling motor pedal, I noticed there's a 2" beam running across the deck about 13" from the front and it gets in the way of the typical 17" cutout. Has anyone managed to work around this on the same boat?

 

[b@c0n_luv]

New owner of a Crestliner Fish Hawk 1750 here and i need help recessing the trolling motor pedal, I noticed there's a 2" beam running across the deck about 13" from the front and it gets in the way of the typical 17" cutout. Has anyone managed to work around this on the same boat?

so, from my experience, the most common solution for a full recess is to cut out a section of that beam, but you absolutely must reinforce it properly with aluminium angle or channel on either side.
It's structural

 

[alesana4ever]

so, from my experience, the most common solution for a full recess is to cut out a section of that beam, but you absolutely must reinforce it properly with aluminium angle or channel on either side.
It's structural

Thanks for the insight!! That makes sense since its a structural beam, so you can't just cut into it without reinforcing. How much clearance do you usually aim for with the recess , and do you have a preferred size or thickness for the aluminum reinforcement?

 

[lakereadyliner]

For proper clearance, make sure to leave 1/4" around the edges of the pedal. You can use either a 1/8" aluminum angle or a 3/16" channel. It's also a good idea to add a backing plate underneath for extra reinforcement in areas where the beam has been cut.